Michael Ferrigno
Professor Oppenheimer
Seminar 3: Urban Epidemics
4 November 2012
HIV/AIDs Group Images
The images I selected for the group project come mostly from the American Foundation for Aids Research website, with the exception of one image from the MTV campaign against HIV. I chose these images because they are ad campaigns used as propaganda to increase awareness, and in some cases using fear as a tactic to increase awareness of the disease, as well as to generate funding and revenue for AIDs research. The amfAR website lists its ad campaign in chronological order, making it easy to see the change in advertising for AIDs awareness over time. One of the earliest ads shows an image of people with different ethnicities and genders, with the bottom line reading “the AIDS virus is an equal opportunity destroyer.” This ad is establishing the fact that AIDs can affect anyone, and going against the common notion that AIDs only affects poor, black people. These ads are striking and are used to make a serious point, that AIDs is a serious disease and people should be educated about it, protect themselves from it, and support the research for a cure. The MTV ad is attempting to promote safe sex, but in a more entertaining way than amfAR does. This may be due to the fact that MTV is trying to reach a younger audience, while the amfAR is trying to reach everybody they can. I think these ads are important images because they show the way the campaigns have changed over time, as well as also represent an attempt to increase public awareness and knowledge of the disease. This is essential to public health, and is critical in the role of decreasing the transmission of the disease by promoting HIV testing and safe sex.
